Publication Details

Publication category
Economical

Determinants of carbon dioxide emissions: role of renewable energy consumption, economic growth, urbanization and governance

This study examines what drives CO₂ emissions in East African Community (EAC) countries, focusing on governance, renewable energy use, economic growth, and urbanization. Using the STIRPAT model, the results confirm the Environmental Kuznets Curve for all EAC states. The study finds that urbanization increases environmental degradation in most countries, while renewable energy use and good governance help reduce CO₂ emissions.

Publication Description

CO2 emissions continue to raise development and scholarly concerns yet the factors influencing these emissions remain inadequately and variedly addressed. Using a panel of East African Community (EAC) countries, we revisit and test the drivers of CO2 emissions, and the causal relationship between governance, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, urbanization, and CO2 emissions. Framed on the STIRPAT model, results show that the inverted U-shaped environmental Kuznets hypothesis is valid for all the EAC countries. Findings from long-run CO2 emissions elasticity of urbanization is robust and indicates that urbanization has a significant positive impact on the environmental degradation of approximately 85% of the countries studied. Conversely, the consumption of renewable energy and the presence of good governance both contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions, thereby enhancing